Labour must change course or risk handing power to Reform, union leader warns
Andrea Egan, leader of the UK’s largest union Unison, has issued a stark warning to Labor, urging the party to “change course” or risk paving the way for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to come to power.
Ahead of Unison’s annual conference in Brighton, which starts on Tuesday, he stressed that the government must “deliver on its promises” to stave off the Reformation threat.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Egan said: “There was a sense of relief when Labor came to power. But sadly we came up short. Communities are really struggling.”
He issued a direct challenge: “It’s not us who will be handed the keys to Number 10 on reform; it will be them unless they change course. And seriously.”
Ms Egan insisted Labor must “ensure that it delivers on the promises it made when it came into government”, calling for the introduction of “progressive policies” including investment in infrastructure, wage restoration, better services and insourcing.
Ms Egan, who was elected Unison general secretary in December 2025, had promised to review the union’s relationship with Labor.
He was expelled from the party in 2022 for sharing articles from Socialist Appeal, a group banned by Labour, a decision he challenged during his campaign.
It warned that the reform would “attack pensions and protections in the workplace”.
Ms Egan suggested “Your Party”, founded by former Labor MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, offered an opportunity to “sound a wake-up call to Labor” about the need for change.
“I really regret that this warning is now being issued by Reform,” he added.
